http://vimeo.com/15834570

Jake Blauvelt raised a few eyebrows when he decided to quit the Forum snowboard team after only a couple of years and forge a new path. According to rumour he sacked his agent, switched off his mobile phone and disappeared to Costa Rica for a month or two. Now THAT’S cool! There were even whispers that this free-spirited powder lover would be joining Jeremy Jones’ new snowboard brand, but in the end he opted for the safer bet of Ride and Oakley. Nevertheless, Jake was serious about not being “told what to do” anymore – and in his first project since making the leap he has teamed up with Friday TV productions. The four-episode series, Blauvelt’s Backcountry, follows the Vermont native to his new home in the powder mecca of the Pacific Northwest, before chasing the winter across Alaska, British Columbia, Europe, Argentina and Chile. His goal? “Looking for stuff to get radical on.” With good friend and like-minded soul surfer Nicolas Müller in tow, and the likes of Terje Haakonsen and Eric Jackson hooking up along the way, you just know this is gonna be a sick show. Blauvelt’s Backcountry will be broadcast on Fuel TV this winter.